TY - JOUR
T1 - Safety and preliminary efficacy of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor huperzine a as a treatment for cocaine use disorder
AU - De La Garza, Richard
AU - Verrico, Christopher D.
AU - Newton, Thomas F.
AU - Mahoney, James J.
AU - Thompson-Lake, Daisy G.Y.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
PY - 2015/5/11
Y1 - 2015/5/11
N2 - Background: Cholinergic transmission is altered by drugs of abuse and contributes to psychostimulant reinforcement. In particular, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, like huperzine A, may be effective as treatments for cocaine use disorder. Methods: The current report describes results from a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in which participants (n=14-17/group) were randomized to huperzine A (0.4 or 0.8mg) or placebo. Participants received randomized infusions of cocaine (0 and 40mg, IV) on days 1 and 9. On day 10, participants received noncontingent, randomized infusions of cocaine (0 and 20mg, IV) before making 5 choices to receive additional infusions. Results: Huperzine A was safe and well-tolerated and compared with placebo, treatment with huperzine A did not cause significant changes in any cocaine pharmacokinetic parameters (all P>.05). Time-course and peak effects analyses show that treatment with 0.4mg of huperzine A significantly attenuated cocaine-induced increases of "Any Drug Effect," "High," "Stimulated," "Willing to Pay," and "Bad Effects" (all P>.05). Conclusions: The current study represents a significant contribution to the addiction field since it serves as the first published report on the safety and potential efficacy of huperzine A as a treatment for cocaine use disorder.
AB - Background: Cholinergic transmission is altered by drugs of abuse and contributes to psychostimulant reinforcement. In particular, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, like huperzine A, may be effective as treatments for cocaine use disorder. Methods: The current report describes results from a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in which participants (n=14-17/group) were randomized to huperzine A (0.4 or 0.8mg) or placebo. Participants received randomized infusions of cocaine (0 and 40mg, IV) on days 1 and 9. On day 10, participants received noncontingent, randomized infusions of cocaine (0 and 20mg, IV) before making 5 choices to receive additional infusions. Results: Huperzine A was safe and well-tolerated and compared with placebo, treatment with huperzine A did not cause significant changes in any cocaine pharmacokinetic parameters (all P>.05). Time-course and peak effects analyses show that treatment with 0.4mg of huperzine A significantly attenuated cocaine-induced increases of "Any Drug Effect," "High," "Stimulated," "Willing to Pay," and "Bad Effects" (all P>.05). Conclusions: The current study represents a significant contribution to the addiction field since it serves as the first published report on the safety and potential efficacy of huperzine A as a treatment for cocaine use disorder.
KW - Cocaine
KW - acetylcholine
KW - acetylcholinesterase inhibitor
KW - huperzine A
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U2 - 10.1093/ijnp/pyv098
DO - 10.1093/ijnp/pyv098
M3 - Article
C2 - 26364275
AN - SCOPUS:84963935718
SN - 1461-1457
VL - 19
SP - 1
EP - 9
JO - International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
JF - International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
IS - 3
ER -